1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns shampoo compositions and oil compositions and methods using these compositions for the treatment of cradle cap.
2. Description of Related Art
Cradle cap is usually a recurring condition most prevalent in infants between about one and nine months. Thick yellow scales occur in patches over the scalp and may also occur on the face, neck and behind the ears. Cradle cap is a form of seborrhea dermatitis. Although unsightly, cradle cap is usually harmless but can pose a threat to health if the scalp becomes infected.
There are a number of individual treatments described by various sources to alleviate the cradle cap conditions, including but not limited to:
Tea mixture PA1 Oil/herb mixture PA1 Olive oil PA1 Vitamin E PA1 Mild dandruff shampoo PA1 Geranium/eucalyptus/almond oil PA1 Camomile/chamomile PA1 the following components present in between about the range weight present indicated: PA1 the following compounds which are present in between that weight percent range indicated: PA1 (a) contacting the scalp or related area of a human being in need of treatment with a therapeutic amount of an oil of the composition: PA1 rubbing the therapeutic oil in thoroughly into the area exhibiting cradle cap and allowing the oil to remain on the skin surface for between about 1 and 60 min followed by using a brush to gently loosen the scales on the scalp and removing the scales; PA1 (b) contacting the scalp or related area of the human being with an effective amount of the improved shampoo of the composition: PA1 and water to remove the oil and loose cradle cap particles; PA1 (c) repeating step (a) and step (b) as needed for a 1 to 5 day period or until the cradle cap condition disappears. If the condition persists, or if inflammation is present, a physician should be contacted immediately.
The difficulty of the existing treatments is that the use of the oils and/or shampoos, as individual ingredients are not effective, are not well quantified and are not used in combination with each other for rapid treatment of cradle cap.
In some cases cradle cap persists regardless of the existing treatments for months or for years.
From this description, it is apparent that a need exists for improved oils, improved shampoos and methods to provide rapid and effective treatment of cradle cap. The present invention provides a solution to this need by using an effective combination of oil components and allowing the oil to loosen the cradle cap scales, a fine-toothed comb to lift the cap, and a shampoo to wash out the scales.